26-year-old Celtic player has just limped off in the first half today while on international duty

In Japan’s round of 16 encounter against Bahrain, Reo Hatate was substituted in the 35th minute, and it appears that the Celtic midfield player may have an injury. According to Flashscore, Hidemasa Morita replaced Hatate in the 36th minute. The Celtic midfielder was seen waiting to be brought off while clutching his calf.

Hatate was seen hobbling, which has raised further concerns that he would miss a significant amount of time once more. Hatate has just made his Champions League comeback from a hamstring injury sustained back in October against Athletico Madrid.

The news will be a worry for Brendan Rodgers. The Celtic manager struggled to find a player capable of taking over Hatate’s role in the middle of the park. Only the recent emergence of Paulo Bernardo has helped fill the hole left by Hatate with some fantastic performances against the likes of Rangers and Dundee.

But there is little doubt Rodgers would have been looking forward to seeing Reo Hatate back in a Celtic jersey sooner rather than later. Hatate has been a revelation since joining Celtic two years ago and has quickly established himself as one of the club’s best players.